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15:44, 19th April 2024 (GMT+0)

Oak Overtime.

Posted by TadeuszFor group 0
Tadeusz
player, 10271 posts
As you dimension dance...
Crowbar or Towel?
Sat 5 Jan 2019
at 08:33
  • msg #1

Oak Overtime

The newest adventures of Oak, GMed by Tadeusz.  :)

Something huger than should be possible if physics worked the way it usually does dove on you, and...you're talking to an ant about theories of Constitutional Governance and how that relates to Music Styles.

You wake on an air mattress.  Opening your eyes, you're in a hallway.  A man in a polyester suit with a very wide tie is sitting in a chair looking at you.

"My name is Director Carter.  And you? And perhaps an explanation as to how and why you were in the process of overloading my Center's buffer fields might be in order as well."  He slips his jacket back, and you see a very modern looking pistol attached with no holster to his pants over his hip.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:24, Sun 06 Jan 2019.
Oak
GM, 3218 posts
Mon 7 Jan 2019
at 20:03
  • msg #2

Oak Overtime



Standard procedure before opening my eyes, like my arrivals in other worlds:
(*) Pray for the LORD to guard and guide me (and take note of any discernible bias levels of this verse).
(*) Check Scriff vectors for belongings and versers.
(*) Check to see if Ring is online, and set it to start recording and analyzing whatever communications are within range.
(*) Attempt to use clairvoyance to sense my surroundings before showing any external signs of consciousness (and take note of any discernible bias levels of this verse).

If clairvoyance is successful and I sense the man nearby, then I attempt to read his thoughts.

And after opening my eyes at last...

"My name is John Oakmaster.  'Peace be unto you.'."

"Please forgive me for intruding.  I am rather disoriented, and do not know how far or how long I have wandered."

"Please, where are we, and what is the date today?"
Tadeusz
player, 10272 posts
As you dimension dance...
Crowbar or Towel?
Fri 11 Jan 2019
at 04:02
  • msg #3

Oak Overtime

In reply to Oak (msg # 2):

You feel a sense of peace as you pray although the Director grunts impatiently.  Ring does not activate.  You feel Scriff all about you.  You can see about you, but when you try to read the Director's mind you run into a mechanical buzzing sound that is very unpleasant.

"Esper, eh?" He says.

He narrows his eyes at you.  Then he decides to answer your questions.

"We are in the Upper Floor of the Time Center.  And the time is Day 742 since the opening of this Center.  Other than that, the time is indeterminate.  Now, about my questions...."
Oak
GM, 3219 posts
Fri 11 Jan 2019
at 07:05
  • msg #4

Oak Overtime

I listen to his answers with interest, and nod thoughtfully.

"Well.  Since you appear to be knowledgeable about both time travel and psionics, perhaps you know more about my wanderings than I do."

"As far as I can tell, I am an inadvertent wanderer that travels to a new universe whenever I die.  I just perished in my previous universe, and the next thing I knew, I was here with you."

"My travels began when I was electrocuted while exposed to a substance called 'scriff' in my original universe.  I sense a lot of it here."

"Do you know anything about the multiverse, or about scriff?  If so, do you know how to control it, so that I can actually go to my home universe, rather than to a random one whenever I die?"
Tadeusz
player, 10276 posts
As you dimension dance...
Crowbar or Towel?
Fri 11 Jan 2019
at 16:51
  • msg #5

Oak Overtime

In reply to Oak (msg # 4):

"No.  All I know is that an object was trying to get through my buffer shields, and I had the choice of letting it through, and hoping for the best, or watching my shields go down and evaporating."

"Multiverse?  I  understand several theories about it.  Scriff? No. Never heard of it."  He leans back.  "All right, I think you're being straight with me.  And its not the first time I've seen some really weird stuff running this place.  Mr. Oakmaster, you have arrived in the Time Center.  We are responsible for policing the Timeline.  Thieves, lost tourists, escorting historians from the History Buerau, con men are the most common types we deal with.  But we also have terrorists, revenge nuts who want to kill their ancestor's enemy even if such rarely takes as Time is resistant, but we do get Paradoxes.  And we fight the Browns and the Reds and the Restorationists as well.  Sometimes we have Time Echoes as well, and Anomalies.  It keeps one busy."  He stands up, and gestures for you to do so as well. " But you are our first extradimensional."


He studies you more.

"Now, the question is, what to do with you.  I could drop you at Present Moment in the Timeline with some identification papers, and a few job reccommendations and a hundred in gold."
Oak
GM, 3220 posts
Fri 11 Jan 2019
at 17:35
  • msg #6

Oak Overtime

I consider thoughtfully.

"That is a very kind offer, but I wonder... could I be more useful here?"

"Although I am not experienced in time travel per se, I have traveled through many eras and timelines, and have encountered plenty of really weird stuff."

"Although my wanderings through the multiverse seem random to me, I know that they are not, for God saw fit to bring me here, so it was meant to be."

"Meanwhile, you folks have duties enough to keep you busy.  Is there anything that I can do to help?"
Tadeusz
player, 10280 posts
As you dimension dance...
Crowbar or Towel?
Sun 13 Jan 2019
at 06:57
  • msg #7

Oak Overtime

In reply to Oak (msg # 6):

"Perhaps." He nods.  You get the feeling he expected this.

"We can start you in analysis."  He leads you to a hatch with red striping around it.  He spins it open, and you both enter, and he closes it.  Going down the spiral metal stairs, you feel strange, stretched, and you see yourself walking up the stairs.


Arriving at the bottom, the feeling and ther other self is gone.  And another hatch, and you enter a room of desks and men at them studying piles of paper and newspaper clippings and othe rhistorical documents.


A man with a cardboard box full of docs steps past you from the stairs.  You were pretty sure he had not been following you.


Along one wall are secretaries with typewriters.


He takes you to a desk.


"Beginning analysis.  Look at the stored doc, and look at the new doc.  Compare.  See any changes, go over to the secretary at the end of the aisle and have her type it up."


OOC: If you want to make any examples of historical changes you can, if before 1970, like oh, Carl Michaelson being the first guy on the Moon.  I can run with it.
Oak
GM, 3221 posts
Mon 14 Jan 2019
at 00:15
  • msg #8

Oak Overtime

I nod, and settle in to start reading... and reading... and reading.

These documents do not correspond to my own universe's timeline... which I suppose isn't that surprising.  However, it does remind me not to rely on intuition based upon using my own timeline as the "correct" baseline for events.

And as I read, I eventually spot an anomaly...

I reflect upon my findings thoughtfully, and bring them to the secretary.

"This new document make a reference to a recent sighting of the Omnidroid... but the stored document says that the Omnidroid was destroyed in 1962..."
Tadeusz
player, 10286 posts
As you dimension dance...
Crowbar or Towel?
Tue 15 Jan 2019
at 00:06
  • msg #9

Oak Overtime

In reply to Oak (msg # 8):

"My name is Louisa.  Good catch, new guy." She scrolls some paper, and types it up, and puts it in her to go box.  "Back to the grind, new guy."

You read more and spot a reference to Theodore Kennedy being arrested for manslaughter or negligent homicide while the original does not mention any criminal charges about an accident at Chappaquiddick.

"This is a leaker.  For some reason, certain changes just seem to want to change, and so we've sent a dozen agents back then to revert the timeline to what it supposed to be.  Too bad, because I like the jerk ending up in jail better than him becoming a US Senator.'  Luisa says as she types rapidly.

An hour later, and you have 1@2 History of Base Timeline of 1870-1970 A.D.


You spot an account of unusual light display and weather one night in 1962 in DC.


"Ten gets you one that a rogue from the Red or a Brown tried to nuke DC.  Such things don't 'take' but very little.  Thus a little light, a light bit of wind, no fireball, just the ghost of one."
Oak
GM, 3222 posts
Tue 15 Jan 2019
at 06:41
  • msg #10

Re: Oak Overtime

Tadeusz:
"My name is Louisa.  Good catch, new guy." She scrolls some paper, and types it up, and puts it in her to go box.  "Back to the grind, new guy."

"I'm John.  Thanks.  Any tips for a new guy?  What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started here?"

Tadeusz:
You read more and spot a reference to Theodore Kennedy being arrested for manslaughter or negligent homicide while the original does not mention any criminal charges about an accident at Chappaquiddick.

"This is a leaker.  For some reason, certain changes just seem to want to change, and so we've sent a dozen agents back then to revert the timeline to what it supposed to be.  Too bad, because I like the jerk ending up in jail better than him becoming a US Senator.'  Luisa says as she types rapidly.

"Do you mean that some events are less than stable all by themselves, even without time travelers trying to meddle?"

Tadeusz:
An hour later, and you have 1@2 History of Base Timeline of 1870-1970 A.D.

You spot an account of unusual light display and weather one night in 1962 in DC.

"Ten gets you one that a rogue from the Red or a Brown tried to nuke DC.  Such things don't 'take' but very little.  Thus a little light, a light bit of wind, no fireball, just the ghost of one."

"Do those things not 'take' all by themselves, or because we acted to undo it?"

"Who are these various rogues, and why would they want to nuke DC?"
Tadeusz
player, 10290 posts
As you dimension dance...
Crowbar or Towel?
Thu 17 Jan 2019
at 00:27
  • msg #11

Re: Oak Overtime

Oak:
Tadeusz:
"My name is Louisa.  Good catch, new guy." She scrolls some paper, and types it up, and puts it in her to go box.  "Back to the grind, new guy."

"I'm John.  Thanks.  Any tips for a new guy?  What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started here?"

"Well, I'm a secretary, not a field agent in training like you, but weird dreams are common.  Don't think you'e losing your mind.  The upper story of Time Center is inside the timestream, and that gives some people really weird vibes even just being next to it.  Pschyologist said its because on some level, our bodies know its not natural to be outside normal time."

Tadeusz:
You read more and spot a reference to Theodore Kennedy being arrested for manslaughter or negligent homicide while the original does not mention any criminal charges about an accident at Chappaquiddick.

"This is a leaker.  For some reason, certain changes just seem to want to change, and so we've sent a dozen agents back then to revert the timeline to what it supposed to be.  Too bad, because I like the jerk ending up in jail better than him becoming a US Senator.'  Luisa says as she types rapidly.

"Do you mean that some events are less than stable all by themselves, even without time travelers trying to meddle?"

"That's the theory.  We dump a TSD, time stabilizer device, and it sets things back right.'

Tadeusz:
An hour later, and you have 1@2 History of Base Timeline of 1870-1970 A.D.

You spot an account of unusual light display and weather one night in 1962 in DC.

"Ten gets you one that a rogue from the Red or a Brown tried to nuke DC.  Such things don't 'take' but very little.  Thus a little light, a light bit of wind, no fireball, just the ghost of one."

"Do those things not 'take' all by themselves, or because we acted to undo it?"

"Who are these various rogues, and why would they want to nuke DC?"

She laughs.

"The Red and Brown aren't rogues.  Commies and Nazis time travellers.  But some of them go rogue.  And the dumb ones think 'why fiddle about, cut to the chase, nuke DC, we win.' Doesn't work that way. Um, six of one, and half dozen of the other."

A balding man with a handlebar mustache steps into the room.

"Mr. Oakmaster, my office."
You follow him, and he leads you into a small office with maps and timelines on all the walls.
"I'm chief of analysis.  Not sure why, but some others want to see what you got.  Choose one of the three missions you noted.  Roger Hanrahan will be your Evaluating Agent.  Which means, he will be following you.  If you need help you can ask him, but he might wipe you.  In any case, third time is a wipe.  He's there to observe you and make sure you don't mess up.  Go rogue, and he will deal with you harshly.  Time Center court is a military court, and there are no appeals.  Got it?"

Oak
GM, 3223 posts
Thu 17 Jan 2019
at 00:55
  • msg #12

Re: Oak Overtime

"Understood, Sir... but what does it mean to go rouge?  What are the Omnidroid mission objectives, and what am I allowed or not allowed to do to fulfill the mission?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:32, Thu 17 Jan 2019.
Tadeusz
player, 10291 posts
As you dimension dance...
Crowbar or Towel?
Fri 18 Jan 2019
at 23:18
  • msg #13

Re: Oak Overtime

In reply to Oak (msg # 12):

"Go rogue?" He blinks and then quickly smiles.  "Desert. Become an independent operator.  Insubordination.  Its not an issue we face as much although before you ask, I'm not sure why."


He leans back in his chair.


"We need to find out why its reappeared.  And if its because of some temporal imfluence, we need to capture the agents involved, if we can and neutralize the change."
Oak
GM, 3224 posts
Sat 19 Jan 2019
at 03:13
  • msg #14

Re: Oak Overtime

I nod.

"What resources do I have?  For example, I have heard of a time stabilizer device.  What means do we have of detecting temporal influences or instabilities, and correcting them?"

"How freely can I time travel to track down any involved agents?  For example, if I find signs of the Omnidroid, can I travel back in time until I actually see it, then travel back in time to follow it back to whatever point it was interfered with?  Or are there constraints that limit how much time traveling can be done?"
Tadeusz
player, 10295 posts
As you dimension dance...
Crowbar or Towel?
Tue 22 Jan 2019
at 08:29
  • msg #15

Re: Oak Overtime

In reply to Oak (msg # 14):

"This is why you should be schooled instead of this..." He grumbles.  He pulls out of a desk drawer a flattened pyramid with several dials on top.  It has buttons on the sides.  Its made of some hard plastic.

He puts it on the desk, and hits a button.  All the lines on the  dials immediately go to the middle of the green area.

"That is what stable time looks like." He undoes what he did, and you see the second dial wobbbling quite a bit.  "We're right next to the Hatch Stairs so time is inherently a bit whacked.  As long as 2 doesn't peg red, or one or three start dancing, its okay.  Sign of something werid, but not a problem currently.  3 measures potential wobble, and 1 measures how far things are from where they should be."
Oak
GM, 3225 posts
Tue 22 Jan 2019
at 15:25
  • msg #16

Re: Oak Overtime

"What does 2 measure?"

"How freely can I time travel to track down any involved agents?  For example, if I find signs of the Omnidroid, can I travel back in time until I actually see it, then travel back in time to follow it back to whatever point it was interfered with?  Or are there constraints that limit how much time traveling can be done?"
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